New Study from Humana Healthcare Research and Harvard University Reveals Better Access to Primary Care for Seniors Receiving Care from Senior-Focused Primary Care Organizations
04 Septiembre 2024 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
In collaboration with a leading researcher and
professor at Harvard University, Humana’s first-of-its-kind study
found better access to primary care and narrowed racial and
socio-economic disparities for those receiving care from
senior-focused primary care organizations.
Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), one of the nation’s leading health and
well-being companies, recently published a study on senior-focused
primary care — a value-based care model that tailors the
environment and services of clinical organizations to the unique
needs of older adults. Published in Health Affairs,
this study is the first of its size and scope in analyzing this
type of organization. This joint study, conducted in partnership
with a leading researcher and professor at Harvard University,
found better access to primary care for patients of senior-focused
primary care organizations compared to other types of primary care
organizations like the traditional fee-for-service model.
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Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading
health and well-being companies, recently published a study on
senior-focused primary care — a value-based care model that tailors
the environment and services of clinical organizations to the
unique needs of older adults. Published in Health Affairs, this
study is the first of its size and scope in analyzing this type of
organization. This joint study, conducted in partnership with a
leading researcher and professor at Harvard University, found
better access to primary care for patients of senior-focused
primary care organizations compared to other types of primary care
organizations like the traditional fee-for-service model. (Photo:
Business Wire)
“We know that increasing access to primary care services is
critical to our efforts to deliver better health outcomes for our
patients,” said Dr. Kate Goodrich, Humana’s Chief Medical
Officer. “This first-of-its-kind study shows that patients in
senior-focused primary care organizations had better access to
care, and that’s important because it informs our efforts to
effectively address the needs of seniors, many of whom have chronic
conditions and complex needs. Of note, it showed even larger
benefits for Black and low-income patients, reducing health
disparities. All those things are good news for our patients, and
this study demonstrates that the senior-focused primary care model
is working.”
Today’s primary care healthcare system often fails to meet the
needs of seniors, many of whom have both chronic conditions and
complex care needs. The traditional primary care system that
primarily operates in fee-for-service arrangements with insurers
can be difficult to access and is often more reactive than
proactive. Alternatively, senior-focused primary care organizations
operate within a value-based care model supported predominantly by
population-based payment contracts with Medicare Advantage. This
payment arrangement, enabled by current CMS payment policies,
provides the infrastructure, flexibility, and financial incentives
for senior-focused primary care organizations to provide tailored,
holistic, coordinated, and proactive care to older adults,
particularly historically underserved populations. Senior-focused
primary care organizations offer longer appointment times, same-day
appointments when needed and access to on-site teams of doctors,
nurses, pharmacists, social workers, behavioral health specialists
and referral specialists who provide a wide range of extended
services to meet the comprehensive needs of seniors.
In collaboration with a leading researcher and professor at
Harvard University, the Humana Healthcare Research team analyzed
data across six different senior-focused primary care organizations
and on more than 462,000 patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage in
2021 to compare healthcare service use and quality of care between
those that were and were not patients of senior-focused primary
care organizations. The main takeaways validate primary care
providers’ long-term investment in integrated senior care services,
including for example, Humana’s owned senior-focused primary care
brands, CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Center.
Relative to more traditional primary care settings, patients of
value-based, senior-focused primary care organizations had 17%
more primary care visits, with larger differences among Black
and low-income beneficiaries. Senior-focused primary care
organizations served more Black and low-income beneficiaries
than other primary care settings, and these patients had 39% and
21% more primary care visits, respectively, than Black and
low-income beneficiaries in other primary care settings, helping to
reduce health disparities. Findings from the study also
suggest that patients of senior-focused primary care organizations
might experience better performance on several quality measures,
including recommended cancer screenings, medication adherence,
controlled blood pressure and diabetes, and less hospital use, but
due to study design limitations more research is needed on these
outcomes.
"This study bears out what we see day-to-day in our
approximately 300 centers, many of them located in underserved
areas,” said Reneé Buckingham, president of Humana’s
senior-focused primary care organization. “Focusing on seniors
in a value-based, team-oriented care model means that we can spend
more time with patients, understanding the many social and other
factors that play a role in overall health. It’s that deep
knowledge of our patients that drives these better outcomes. In
fact, this data proves what we’ve known for some time –
senior-focused primary care improves well-being so those under our
care can attain their best health and live their lives to the
fullest. Increasing access to senior-focused primary care is an
important lever in delivering better health outcomes for our
members and patients.”
You can access the full study on the Health Affairs
website.
About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to putting health first – for our
teammates, our customers, and our company. Through our
Humana insurance services, and our CenterWell health
care services, we strive to make it easier for the millions of
people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care
and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading
to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, Medicaid,
families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities
at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at
CenterWell.com.
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Sara Nelson Humana Corporate Communications Snelson31@humana.com
Kevin Smith Humana Corporate Communications
Ksmith305@humana.com
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